Ambassadors to Babylon: Recent Episodes
Jason Small
We are citizens of God's kingdom currently living in man's world. We are ambassadors to Babylon!
How can we be effective ambassadors for God? How can we live in a way that both honors God and serves are fellow man?
Pragmatic and actionable principles will be shared.
My thoughts around this revival. Let's dismiss our critical spirits and celebrate how God is moving.
Use 1 John 4: 1-3 to discern the authenticity of all teachers:
1 Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world.
2 This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God.
3 But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here.
Samaritan’s Purse to help Earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria1. What Christians shouldn’t do: Be obsessed with End Times Be aloof to End Times2. What should Christians do: Be Prepared Share Jesus Know the End Times scriptureKey scripture:Matthew 24:34-39,I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things take place.35 Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.36 “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.37 “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day.38 In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat.39 People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.Matthew 24: 42-44,“So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming.43 Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into.44 You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.2 Thessalonians 2,Now, dear brothers and sisters, let us clarify some things about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered to meet him.2 Don’t be so easily shaken or alarmed by those who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Don’t believe them, even if they claim to have had a spiritual vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us.3 Don’t be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed—the one who brings destruction.4 He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God.5 Don’t you remember that I told you about all this when I was with you?6 And you know what is holding him back, for he can be revealed only when his time comes.7 For this lawlessness is already at work secretly, and it will remain secret until the one who is holding it back steps out of the way.8 Then the man of lawlessness will be revealed, but the Lord Jesus will kill him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by the splendor of his coming.9 This man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles.10 He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them.11 So God will cause them to be greatly deceived, and they will believe these lies.12 Then they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing the truth.Connect with me! Social media and email:Twitter: ambs_tobabylonFacebook: Ambassadors to BabylonEmail: ambassadorstobabylon@gmail.com
Are you a friend or an enemy of God? There is no in between. You must pick a side!
Key Bible Verses:
James 4:4
You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.
2 Corinthians 11:14:
But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
1 Peter 5:8:
Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
John 10:10:
The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.
https://www.biblestudytools.com/nlt/
How can you resist the devil and draw close to God:
- Repent -
- Pray
- Spend time in the Bible
- Get to church!
Connect with me! Social media and email:
Twitter: ambs_tobabylon
Facebook: Ambassadors to Babylon
Email: ambassadorstobabylon@gmail.com
Today's discussion: Proverbs 3: 1-4
My child, never forget the things I have taught you. Store my commands in your heart. If you do this, you will live many years, and your life will be satisfying. Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will earn a good reputation.
Discussing James 2:14:
What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?
Today we are discussing Proverbs 18:15: Intelligent people are always ready to learn. Their ears are open for knowledge.
Sharing my time with my kiddos in our car drop off line. Will be discussing a Bible verse, truth, quote or principle.
Today's verse: Proverbs 17: 22: A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.
The tongue is a small thing that is incredibly powerful. We discuss this and what Godly wisdom looks like.
Characteristics of Godly wisdom:
- Pure
- Peace-loving (peaceable)
- Gentle at all times (gentle)
- Willing to yield to others (easy to be intreated)
- Full of Mercy (full of mercy)
- Fruit of good deeds (good fruits)
- Shows no favoritism (without partiality)
- Always sincere (without hypocrisy)
Key Scriptures:
Proverbs 18:21, ESV
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.
James 3:17, NLT
But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere.
James 3:17, ESV
But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.
Actions for this week:
Control our tongues - be very conscience of what you are saying. Avoid gossip, harshness and any other type of speech that could be spreading destructive fire. Look for ways to use your speech as uplifting, encouraging and warm
Connect with me!
Twitter: ambs_tobabylon
Facebook: Ambassadors to Babylon
Email: ambassadorstobabylon@gmail.com
The Near Year is a great time to set some goals. Make your planning and results this year by focusing on the process, focusing on the sowing.
Key Points:
- Plan
- Sow
- Trust
Key Scriptures:
Galatians 6:7
Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.
Romans 8: 5 -8
Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit.
So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.
For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will.
That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.
Galatians 6:9 (ESV)
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
External Links:
Mount Pleasant Christian Church: https://mpcc.info/. Direct link to past sermons: https://mpcc.info/sermons/
https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/dont-grow-weary-doing-good
James Chapter 2: https://www.biblestudytools.com/parallel-bible/passage/?q=James+2&t=nlt&t2=esv
Section 1 - Warning Against Prejudice - verses 1-13
- Holding faith in Christ and showing partiality to others are incompatible, particularly based on outward appearances. True faith shows love not discrimination. Discrimination and favoritism are sins and need to be dealt with.
- We all are guilty of breaking God’s laws
- Mercy is a requirement of Believers, or they will experience God’s judgment
Section 2 - Faith without Good Deeds is Dead - verses 14-26
Actions for this week: Look for ways to put your faith into action. What can you do in your local community to be the hands and feet of Jesus this week? Know of a single mom that needs a hand? Or a widow? Or an elderly couple? Do the kids at the local after school program need a mentor?
Further Resources:
https://throughtheword.org/
https://www.amazon.com/Application-Study-Letter-LeatherLike-Mahogany-dp-1496439406/dp/1496439406/ref=dp_ob_title_bk
https://www.christianbook.com/the-macarthur-bible-commentary/john-macarthur/9780785250661/pd/250662?event=ERRCER1
Connect:
Share social media:
Twitter: ambs_tobabylon
Facebook: Ambassadors to Babylon
Email: ambassadorstobabylon@gmail.com
During election season, many folks loose their minds and generally kind, loving and gracious people become hateful, harsh and intolerable. As a follower of Jesus, how can we be sure to maintain our Christian composure and witness during a contentious time?
During election season, I want you to remember
- Our tongues are restless and evil, full of deadly poison.
- The authorities in our government are put there by God.
- Where do you put your trust?
Key Scriptures:
"Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way. We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself. People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God." - James 3:3-9
"Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry." - James 1:19
"Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished. For the authorities do not strike fear in people who are doing right, but in those who are doing wrong. Would you like to live without fear of the authorities? Do what is right, and they will honor you. The authorities are God’s servants, sent for your good. But if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, for they have the power to punish you. They are God’s servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong. So you must submit to them, not only to avoid punishment, but also to keep a clear conscience." - Romans 13: 1-5
"May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob protect you! May he send you help from the sanctuary and give you support from Zion! May he remember all your offerings and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah May he grant you your heart's desire and fulfill all your plans! May we shout for joy over your salvation, and in the name of our God set up our banners! May the LORD fulfill all your petitions! Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with the saving might of his right hand. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright. O LORD, save the king! May he answer us when we call." - Psalm 20
Call to Action:
1) Don't sacrifice your Christian witness during election season.
2) Why do you put so much faith in the US government?
Connect with me:
Twitter: ambs_tobabylon
Facebook: Ambassadors to Babylon
Email: ambassadorstobabylon@gmail.com
Heartbreak happens to all of us and it can cause severe pain and scars that will never fully fade away. So how can we Biblically navigate heartbreak?
If you are experiencing heartbreak, here are the three steps I encourage you to take:
- Acknowledge it
- Grow From it
- Share it
Key Scriptures:
“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” - John 16:33
"He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds." - Psalm 147:3
"Jesus wept." - John 11:35
"Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow." - James 1:2-3
"Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified." - 1 Corinthians 9:24-27
"Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other." - Romans 12:4-5
Call to Action: What tragedy or heartbreak have you been unwilling to even acknowledge in your life? Identify that this week and start your journey.
Connect with me:
Twitter: ambs_tobabylon
Facebook: Ambassadors to Babylon
Email: ambassadorstobabylon@gmail.com
12 Nuggets of Wisdom:
- Fill up your gas tank at half a gallon
- Wake Up Early - Go to bed early
- Don’t consume the news (The Pour Over, Newsletter: https://www.thepourover.org/, Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/41PZSLIJ0b6L9CXv1POGWj?si=5514fd0be0a449ec)
- Move your body
- Plan for the next day (Whitney)
- Drink half your body weight in water in filtered water (Jess)
- Count your first 5 blessings before your first worry (Chip)
- Always assume the best intentions within relationships until proven otherwise (Angie)
- Don’t believe everything you think (Ryan C)
- Make your bed daily (Momma Kann), Speech: https://youtu.be/pxBQLFLei70, Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1455570249/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_14PJHTFYBFPX02YYG0V1)
- Your worth is not determined/defined by your productivity (Amber S)
- Rice does not fix water-damaged electronics (Ricardo)
Call to Action: Which one of these nuggets of wisdom should you implement this week? Which one can you immediately adopt to help you?
Social Media and Email:
Twitter: ambs_tobabylon
Facebook: Ambassadors to Babylon
Email: ambassadorstobabylon@gmail.com
The three main points to be a rockstar husband:
1) Lead your wife
2) Serve your wife
3) Cherish you wife
The Five Love Languages:
Assessment: https://5lovelanguages.com/quizzes/love-language
Book: https://5lovelanguages.com/store/the-5-love-languages
Love and Respect: https://www.loveandrespect.com/books/love-respect-book
How a husband is called to love his wife:
Ephesians 5: 25-30: "25 For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her 26 to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word.[a] 27 He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. 28 In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. 29 No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church. 30 And we are members of his body."
My three major points of being a Biblical Rock Stat Husband:
1) Lead your wife well
2) Serve your wife well
3) Cherish your wife well.
Here is the link to the image I mention: https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0U3HS5N_srs/V-eb8Wds-JI/AAAAAAACvW0/bdhlsOOf3x4FXIfDq9RLvGq4m8NpQzWNQCLcB/s320/boss-vs-leader-1024x1024.jpg
The three ways you can lead your wife well:
1) You are trustworthy and reliable.
2) You have a vision of who you want to be and what your family stands for.
3) You forgive first and ask for forgiveness first.
Connect with me!
Twitter: ambs_tobabylon
Facebook: Ambassadors to Babylon
Email: ambassadorstobabylon@gmail.com
I discuss what Biblical generosity looks like.
We explore the Old Testament tithe, the discussion of it in the New Testament and how does it still apply today.
I layout an argument about how our giving and generosity should look like for a Christian in today's world.
The source I promised to share: https://www.rethinknow.org/5-things-that-could-happen-if-the-church-tithed/
Social Media:
Twitter: @ambs_tobabylon
Facebook: Ambassadors to Babylon
Email: ambassadorstobabylon@gmail.com
The Bible is very clear -- anyone claiming to be a Christian should have very clear evidence of that.
From John the Baptist's warnings of fruitless trees and Jesus himself striking a fruitless fig tree dead, the warnings against not bearing fruit are obvious.
I talk about what that looks like and what a fruitful life looks like.
Social Media:
Twitter: @ambs_tobabylon
Facebook: Ambassadors to Babylon
How can we live above reproach?
How can we be described as faithful, always responsible and completely trustworthy?
Looking at Daniel 1-6, using Daniel and 'the boys' as an example for us to follow, here are three ways we can be described as being above reproach:
1) Quietly and firmly hold to your convictions.
2) Boldly stand up to idols.
3) Stand strong when targeted persecution happens.
I discuss why anyone who wants a growing relationship with God needs to be in their Bible daily.
How I currently utilize the 'Jon MacArthur' study technique (using a 30 day month, Using Matthew, chapters 20-24 as an example):
1st-3rd - Read my chapters from my NLT Bible
4th-5th - Read my chapters from my ESV Bible
6th - Outline the chapters, leaving plenty of space between topics for additional notes
7th - 10th - Study Chapter 20 using the different tools I mentioned (Will be noted below), still read all of chapters 20-24
11th-14th - Study Chapter 21 using the different tools I mentioned, still read all of chapters 20-24
15th - 18th - Study Chapter 22 using the different tools I mentioned, still read all of chapters 20-24
19th - 22nd - Study Chapter 23 using the different tools I mentioned, still read all of chapters 20-24
23rd - 26th - Study Chapter 24 using the different tools I mentioned, still read all of chapters 20-24
27th - 30th - Use to explore certain passages that really resonated/convicted you. Also can be used for make up days because life happens!
Tools:
Life Application Study Bible - NLT - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1414375441/
ESV Study Bible - https://www.crossway.org/bibles/esv-study-bible-tru-9/
Through the Word: https://throughtheword.org/
YouVersion Bible App: https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/
New Morning Mercies by Paul David Tripp - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1433541386
How To Eat Your Bible by Nate Pickowicz- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0802420397
The MacArthur Bible Commentary - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0785250662/
This introduction podcast introduces you to the mission, the host, and the goal.
The mission: Teaching men how to live as a citizen of God's kingdom while serving as an ambassador to man's kingdom.